Apple extends iCloud storage following downgrade glitch

In the wake of an apparent glitch in which many iCloud users found their storage levels set to expire 38 years in the future, Apple has extended the increased temporary storage for former MobileMe users for another year.

When Apple released its iCloud service, the 5GB of online storage provided was less than the 20GB offered in its previous MobileMe service. To help MobileMe users in the migration, Apple offered a temporary 20GB of additional storage for existing MobileMe users, to help accommodate their data during the transition.

Apple originally planned on keeping this additional storage for the first month of iCloud, but extended it to September 30; however, when this date came around users were surprised to see that instead of a downgrade, they received an apparent 38-year extension of their current storage levels. This evident mistake was not addressed immediately by Apple, and in the past few days users have reported noticing that the expiration date of 9/30/2050 was still showing in their iCloud settings.

Today Apple addressed this issue by extending the temporary 20GB storage for another year, and sent affected iCloud users the following e-mail:

Dear [iCloud User],

When you moved your MobileMe account to iCloud, we provided you with a complimentary storage upgrade beyond the standard 5GB that comes with an iCloud account to help you with the transition. Originally, this storage upgrade was set to expire on September 30, 2012.

As a thank you to our former MobileMe members, we will continue to provide you with this complimentary storage upgrade at no charge, for an additional year, until September 30, 2013. No action is required on your part. For complete details, please read this article.

Thank you again for using iCloud,

iCloud Team

Whether the initial extension was intended or a glitch is unknown; however, Apple has addressed the issue, and users who previously found their storage plans set to renew in 2050 should now see them expire on September 30, 2013.

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